This invention relates generally to catheters, and more specifically to an assembly and method that may be used for delivering and deploying one or more implantable medical devices, such as a stents, grafts, stent-grafts, vena cava filters, or other implantable medical devices, hereinafter referred to collectively as stents, within a body lumen.
Guide catheters and diagnostic catheters are well known for use in the performance of medical procedures, such as coronary catheterization, angiography, angioplasty, and other diagnostic or interventional procedures, such as interventional radiology. Guide catheters aid in treatment of arterial lesions by providing a conduit for positioning dilatation balloon systems across an arterial stenosis. Guide catheters and diagnostic catheters work with various assemblies for performing other medical, therapeutic, and diagnostic procedures, such as dye delivery, arterial flushing, or arterial pressure monitoring.
Stents and stent delivery assemblies are utilized in a number of medical procedures and situations, and as such their structure and function are well known. A stent is a generally cylindrical prosthesis introduced via a catheter into a lumen of a body vessel in a configuration having a generally reduced diameter and then expanded to the diameter of the vessel. In its expanded configuration, the stent supports and reinforces the vessel walls while maintaining the vessel in an open, unobstructed condition.
Self-expanding, inflation expandable and hybrid stents are well known and widely available in a variety of designs and configurations. Examples are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,348,065, US 2002-0055770-A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,621, incorporated herein by reference. Inflation expandable stents are crimped to a reduced diameter configuration about the delivery catheter, then maneuvered to the deployment site and expanded to the vessel diameter by fluid inflation of a balloon positioned underneath the stent on the delivery catheter.
In advancing an inflation expandable stent through a body vessel to the deployment site, there are a number of important considerations. The stent must be able to securely maintain its axial position on the delivery catheter. The stent and inflation balloon in the reduced state must have a sufficiently small outer diameter to allow the catheter to be advanced through a tortuous anatomy into a desired location of a body lumen, such as an artery or other vessel. Further, advancement of the stent through the vessel is enhanced by increased flexibility of the stent and catheter tip at the catheter distal end. Radiopaque markers on the stent and/or catheter aid in precisely positioning the stent at the deployment site.
Delivery catheters, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,543 and incorporated herein by reference, are known in the art. Such catheters may include radiopaque markers and stent securement rings as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,530,947, 6,315,790 and 6,395,008, also incorporated by reference.
Current methods of assembling balloon catheters typically include several steps. Often times the catheter shaft is constructed by extruding one or more portions of the catheter shaft which are then assembled together with other components such as radiopaque markers, securement rings, etc. An inflation balloon is then positioned over and/or adjacent to the markers and securement rings and bonded to the shaft. In some cases, the distal tip or end region of the catheter may be provided with a tapered or other configuration. These steps typically require a skilled operator to properly assemble the various components of the catheter. Further, radiopaque markers, securement rings and even the balloon itself increase the outer diameter of the assembly.
The art referred to and/or described above is not intended to constitute an admission that any patent, publication or other information referred to herein is “prior art” with respect to this invention. In addition, this section should not be construed to mean that a search has been made or that no other pertinent information as defined in 37 C.F.R. §1.56(a) exists.
All U.S. patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Without limiting the scope of the invention a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.
A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification is provided as well only for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. 1.72. The abstract is not intended to be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.